Safety device for clothes wringers



Feb. Z6 v1924. 1,485,323

J` J. WOOD SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS Filed Aug. 14 1922Patented eb. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES J. WOOD, OEFORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO'GENERAL ELECTRIC COH-PANY, A CORPORATION F NEW YORK.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGEBS.

Application led August 14, 1922, Serial No. 581,628.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES J. WOOD, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Fort Wayne, county of Allen, tate of Indiana,

have invented certain new and usefulIml provements in Safety Devices forClothes Wringers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to powerdriven clothes wringers""such asare usedwith washing machines and has for its object -to provide animproved arrangement for automatically stopping the wrin er whenabnormal conditions occur and wdiich also enables the operator toquickly stop the wringer under .emergenc conditions.

For a consideration o what I` believe to be novel and my invention,attent-ion is directed to the accompanying description-and the claimsappended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a Side elevation- Of a wringer embodying myinvention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation plartly in section of one end ofthe wringer s own in Fig. l, drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1; Fig. 3is an end view of the wringer shown in Fig. 1,

and Fig. 4 is an end view showing certain parts in a different position.

In the drawing, I have shown my invention in connection with a wringerhaving an individual motor drive but it will beunder- Y stood that theinvention is not necessarily limited to this particular arrangement.

Referring to the drawing, 6 indicates the frame of a wringer in whichare arrangedv rolls 7 having engaging ar wheels 8 on their shafts so thetwo ro ls are driven together. Fixed to one end of the wringer frame isa casing 9 containing gearing 10 adapted to be coupled to the lowerwringer roll shaft by a suitable clutch ll-operated by a handle 11.Attached to gear casing 9 is an electric motor 12 having its shaftconnected to lthe driving shaft of the gearing. By reversing thedirection of rotation of motor 12, the direction of rotation of thewringer rolls is reversed. ,At 12'* is a stud for use in fastening thewringer to a support, such as a tub.

In casin `9 is a reversing switch mechanism 13 suitably wired to themotor for controlling it. The switch is operated by a handle 14 which ispivoted at its lower end at 15, the upper end projecting out through thetop wall of the casing. When the switch handle is in vertical positionthe switch is open. When it is moved toward the left in Figs. 3 and 4 itcloses circuit on the motor to operate it in a direction so that rolls 7are turned to wring clothes fed in from the right hand side of thewringer and when it is moved toward the right the motor is reversed forwringing through the wringer in the opposite direction. Or, as viewedfrom the side, in using the wringer ,the switch handle is moved in thedirection in which the clothes are to move. The detail structure of `theswitch is not shown as its-specific structure forms no part of thepresent invention. It may be of any suitable type;`

land somewhat above the contact line of the two rolls. Rods 17 areconnected to the ends of arms 18y so that such rods extend across thewringer one on each sideand in front of and just above the meetin lineof the rolls. In F-ig. 3 the guard rame is shown in central position andit may be moved a limited distance in either directon on its pivotsswinging one rod toward the wringer and the other away from the wringer.The extent of the swinging movement is indicated in Fig. 4.

On top of casing 9 is a bearing block 19 astened by screws 20 andpivoted in it is a short, horizontal shaft 21. Fixed to one end of shaft21 is an upwardly projecting arm 22 provided with a slot 23 in which islocated the head of a pin 24 fastened to the adjacent end fork 16. Fixedto the other end of`shaft 21 isa downwardly projecting arm 25 having aswitch fork 26 at its lower end which straddles a pin 27 fastened toswitch lever 14. l

During normal operation the guard frame may stand in central position asshown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3 or it may be moved to bring the rod17 on the side at which the clothes are being fed into the wringer awayfrom the rolls and the rod 17 on the other may take when clothes arebeing fed into the wringer from left to right. The sides of the wringerframe form stops for limiting the movement of the guard frame in eitherdirection. When it is desired to operate the wringer, switch handle 14is moved from its central open position toward either the right or leftaccording to the direction it is desired to wring clothes. The guardframe may occupy7 any position between central position as shown in Fig.3 or its extreme position in one direction or the other, an example ofwhich is shown in Fig. 4.

From its central open position shown in Fig. 3, switch handle 14 may bemoved toward the leftv or toward the right to close the circuit throughmotor 12 for wringing clothes through the wringer from right to left orfrom left to right. The guard frame will assume either a centralposition or lit may be moved beyond such position in the direction whichthe switch handle is moved.

Assume for example, that switch handle 14 is moved to the left in Fig. 3so as to wring clothes from right to eft. Under these conditions theguard frame will stand in central position or turned toward the right.If now for an reason the guard frame is moved towardy the left in Fig.3, switch fork 26 will be moved toward ythe right due to pin 24 movingarm 22 toward the left and one of the switch fork fingers will engagepin 27 and move switch handle 14 back to central or open position. Thisis illustrated in Fig. 4 where the guard frame is shown as having beenmoved to the left and the switch` handle to open position. The operationis the same when the switch handle is moved to close the circuit throughthe motor for operation in the opposite direction.

With the guard frame in the position shown in either Fig. 3 or Fig. 4,switch handle 14 may be moved toward the right for wringing from left toright and in case the guard frame is moved toward the right, the switchwill be moved to open position.

If when the wringer is in use any hard or bulky object gets in the wayof rod 17, such as for example, the hand or arm of the operator, anunduly large bundle of clothes, or the head of the operator, a thingwhich might happen should the operators hair get caught between therolls, such object will strike one of the rods 17 turning the guardframe and stopping the wringer. It will be noted that rods 17 are ashort distance above the meeting line of the wringer rolls so that thematerial being passed through the wringer must be fed under the rods.This distance is made such that with normal operation the material beingwrung will pass beneath the rods without engaging them but in case thematerial begins to bunch up so as to become too bulky to pass throughthe wringer, it will strike the rod on the side upon which material isbein fed to the wringer and draw the rod towar the wringer, thus openingthe switch. In case it is desired to quickly stop the wrin er theoperator has only to push on the ro 17 on the side of the wringer atwhich the material is being fed. Ordinarily, the operator stands on theside from which the material is being fed. Should the operator get ahand caught in the wringer the o erator can instantly stop the wringerby pus ing rod 17 toward the' wringer.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now believe to represent the best embodiment thereof,but I desire to have it understood that the :11pparatus shown is onlyillustrative and t e invention may be carried out by other means.

Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

l. In combination, a wringer, means for controlling the application ofpower to the wringer for driving it which means when moved in onedirection from neutral position effects the operation of the wringer inone direction and when moved in another direction from neutral positioneifects the 0peration of the wringer in the opposite direction, a guardframe which presents a part which lies along` and substantially in frontof the wringer rolls, said part being free to be moved and carried bythe frame in a substantially horizontal plane, a pivotal support for theframe on which it moves, and a' connecting mechanism between the guardframe and the controlling means for moving the latter to the neutralpositionv when said part of the guard frame is moved in the samedirection as material passing through the wringer.

2. In combination, a wringer, means for controlling the application ofpower to the wringer for driving it which means when moved in onedirection from neutral position effects the operation of the wringer inone direction and when moved in another direction from neutral positioneffects the operation of the wringer in the opposite direction, and amovable guard frame comprising a member movable with the frame whichextends along in front of the wringer rolls and which when moved in thedirection in which material entering the rolls moves carries thecontrolling means to neutral position.

3. In combination, a wringer, means for controlling the application ofpower to the wringer for driving it which means when moved in onedirection from neutra-l position effects the operation of the wringer inone direction and when moved in another llO direction from neutralposition eii'ects the operation of the wringer in the .oppositedlrection, a guard frame pivoted to the wringer frame comprising tworods which extend along the wringer rolls in front of them, and meansconnecting the guard frame to the controlling means for moving it toneutral position when the rods are moved in the same direction asmaterial passing through the wringer rolls.

4. In combination, a Wringer, a motor for driving it, a reversing switchfor the motor, and a guard frame having parts which extend in front ofthe wringer rolls on opposite sides thereof and which when moved in thesame direction as material passing through the wringer rolls moves theswitch to neutral position.

5. In combination, a wringer comprising a frame and rolls, a housingvxedto the wringer frame, a motor fastened directly to said housing, earingin the housing through which t e motor drives the rolls, a reversingswitch -for the motor, a pivotally supported and movable guard framehaving parts which extend in front of the wringer rolls and meansforming an operating connection between the reversing switch and theguard frame for moving said switch to the neutral position when theguard frame is moved in response to pressure Vexerted on it in thedirection in wllilich material is traveling through the ro s.k

6. The combination with a wringer having power-driven rolls, of anautomatically operable safety device for stopping said rolls, comprisinga pair of rods extending along `in spaced relation to and parallel withthe rolls on opposite Vsides thereof and 4 lying above and in closeparallel relation to an imaginary plane passing through the meeting lineof the rolls, a pivotally suspended frame by which the rods are carriedand permitted to move substantially parallel to said plane, a powercontrolling de- Vice for the rolls having a neutral position into whichit may be moved to stop the rolls, and means including the frame forminganv operative connection between the controlling device a-nd the rodsfor moving the -controlling device to said neutral position in responseto movement of said rods in the direction in which material moves whenentering the rolls.

In witness whereof I have hereunto setmy hand this 10th da of August,1922.

JA ES J. WOOD.

